What Happens if I Let Go - 4 Painting

No longer inert, the mind is enlivened and expectant. Hope feeds an unquenchable desire for experience and feeling. Although confined to the depths of the unconscious and so seemingly inaccessible, the radiance of that hope is so nearly a catalyst for release. Many layers of mixed media offer overall depth. Texture is gained from manipulation (and selective removal) of emulsion paint, acrylic paint and gesso of varying consistencies. Gold leaf is used to suggest that 'radiance of hope'. The painting is on appropriately primed MDF board, with no hanging hardware on reverse. The painting is signed on the front and back. The nature of chronic illness is such that often those that suffer with it are ashamed to speak about it, even with loved ones, and those that live with sufferers are confused by it. Having lived with M.E and fibromyalgia for over 10yrs, my strategy for dealing with the frustration was to go into a sort of state of 'hibernation'. However, eventually I discovered painting as a form of expressing those associated emotions. One of the most satisfying responses to my work from others is their recognition that the paintings somehow also reflect their own experiences of illness (mental or physical). I have had some emotional exchanges with people who feel relieved to share what they ordinarily feel to be a taboo subject.